DOHA: Qatar recently participated in the '2010 Learning and Technology Forum' in London where official bodies of ministries of education of 60 countries around the world converged in partnership with the British Council.
Representing Qatar was Dalal Moukarzel, Director of the Office of Faculty and Instructional Development at Qatar University.
Under the theme 'Technology in the service of education', the forum also featured diverse and distinguished participation of other Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Algeria Tunisia, Oman, Qatar, Syria, Bahrain and Yemen.
The conference focused on approaches in exploring the future prospects of the school in terms of rehabilitation for integration into the universal flow regimes and unifying educational systems so as to ensure the concentration of concern of international, regional, local and regional efforts to make the school a lever to open up to diverse and different experiences, and to bridge the gaps between the educational policies of each cultural identity, as well as create opportunities for creative potential.
The field of education provided fertile ground for dissolving cultural boundaries, and fusion towards the "global citizen" and the diversity of the participants created a space for raising awareness about the importance of coordination between the educational experiences of those countries both at the educational and cultural levels.
Throughout the event at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre there were interventions by politicians, economists, skills experts and educators, all on three basic issues: enabling regeneration and economic recovery; striving for excellence, and preparing for the future.
Three notable speeches challenged the participants to think about the impact of change in our world and consider how "we can re-imagine education using technology." In their speeches honouring teachers, empowering parents and children and encouraging partnerships and collaboration, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Stephen Crown and Lord Mandelson opened up a new era towards a prosperous 21st century where no individual is left behind. "And no one ever forgets their teachers and what they give and that is their skills, their leadership, their dedication, their qualities that so often are the difference between a child's success and failure... We can use technology to empower our teachers, but never to replace them. And only teachers can perform these daily minor miracles in the classroom, opening our children's eyes to the world, encouraging curiosity, building confidence, preparing them for the future," said Brown.
© The Peninsula 2010
